The Tagliamento lower course

The end of the middle course, characterized by intertwined channels, corresponds to a change in slope. Slope decreases from about 7 m of difference in altitude for each km to less than 3 m of difference in altitude. As a result, the river loses speed and abandons its coarse debris, the gravels, continuing to transport only sand and silt to the delta.

For this reason, in the lower course the braided channels disappear, the riverbed narrows, and the course becomes meandering, with curves and bends. From Latisana onwards the river is regulated by powerful banks which have crystallized the variations in the river’s meanders. Lignano Sabbiadoro and Bibione are two seaside towns located on both sides of the Tagliamento delta, on the right (Venetian) and left (Friulian) banks respectively.